Alexander Kurakin

Prince Alexander Borisovich Kurakin (Russian Александр Борисович Куракин; * January 18, 1752 in Moscow, † June 24, 1818 in Weimar) was a Russian statesman. He was temporarily Vice Chancellor. He became known as a diplomat during negotiations on the Treaty of Tilsit and the Russian Ambassador in Paris before the outbreak of the Russian campaign Napoleon.

Life

He was a member of the Russian nobility and a descendant of Boris Kurakin. His father was Boris Alexandrovich Kurakin. He was temporarily brought together with Paul I.. It was his close confidant and accompanied Paul in 1776 and 1782 on his trips to Germany and France.

In 1796 he was appointed Minister and Vice Chancellor. In 1802 he took after the assassination of the Emperor in his resignation.

In 1806 he was ambassador in Vienna. In 1807 Alexander I commissioned him for the lost fourth coalition war peace negotiations at Tilsit complete. He was regarded as a counterpart and paid close attention to rankings, status and appearance. He, however, was more intelligent than his critics assumed. In the struggle between England and France for global dominance, he argued that Russia should remain neutral and use the armed for his own benefit. Although he regarded France as a threat to Russia, he pleaded after the defeat of an agreement and a division of Europe into a French and a Russian sphere of influence. He was then appointed to the Privy Council of State first class and field marshal à la suite. A year later he was sent as an envoy to Paris. Kurakin was there as the epitome of the rich and lavish Russian aristocrats and was called prince diamond. Politically, he was Napoleon against little.

The festivities in honor of the marriage of Napoleon to Marie Louise of Austria, he was thrown down, and would have been almost trampled by the crowd. In 1810 Napoleon Kurakin threatened against the initial application time of war, but has tried various Russia to express his friendship later. During the celebrations of his forty-second birthday Napoleon against Kurakin 1811 Russia again assumed hostile intentions. Finally, a spy scandal has soured relationship Kurakins emperor.

Shortly before the beginning of the Russian campaign he was long denied an exit permit and held at his country house near Paris. Through the burning of Moscow, he lost a large part of his property. After the victory in 1814, he welcomed Alexander on behalf of the Senate with the honorary title of " the Blessed One. " Through illness, he had to stay in Berlin for some time and then withdrew temporarily from the affairs of state back before he was appointed to the Russian State. In 1817 he retired for health reasons all the way back.